Canberra Centre Expansion Opens This Week!

The opening of Canberra Centre Expansion on Section 84 takes place on Thursday, and as such I have decided to cancel the detailed October photographic update. In it’s place I have taken a short set of photos, firstly of the construction as seen from Mount Ainslie, and secondly of the stores moving.

Again I ask that you remember the copyright and licence ^[1] associated with these pictures. If you would like to use these pictures outside of those conditions, please contact me and I’ll see what I can do.

While I was up on top of Mount Ainslie, I took the opportunity to take a photo of the underground cabling building a few minutes walk away from the Canberra Centre. More information about this building can be seen by clicking here ^[2].
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The next photo is an overview of the Civic Area, with the Canberra Centre and it’s expansion in the middle.
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Then we have the large office building which will have retail on the lower floors.
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This building is undoubtedly the main retail building, and will also have plenty of carparking spaces, including on the roof. I seem to recall the hole that was dug in the ground for this building went down about three storeys, so it will be interesting to see what has been done with that space.
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And the existing Canberra Centre
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Of course you can’t have a shopping centre without shops, and it would be pretty silly to have an expansion this large without adding another department store. So among the new stores is Big W
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The main change to existing stores is that virtually the entire City Markets is moving to a new “Fresh Food” section. The sole supermarket Supabarn is moving to newer, and apparently bigger premises. I was under the impression that Woolworths were moving in, although the Canberra Centre seem to be making no mention of it, so I’m no longer 100% sure about this.

Supabarn have signs up at the checkouts announcing their move, and further signs inside the store apoligising for the low stock levels while they move.
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Bakers Delight are also moving, but it looks like they’ll be closing for a few days while they move their baking equipment.
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The City Market Chemist are one of the stores offering a relocation sale in an effort to offload as much stock as possible, obviously not wanting to cart it all over to their new location on the corner of Bunda and Petrie Streets.
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When I took these photos of signs on Sunday afternoon, hair care store Price Attack were already closed and carting stock to their new location.
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Dobinsons are an interesting case. Dobinsons are one of the cafes on Bunda Street, they are not moving, but they will be opening a second store in the new shopping centre, apparently it will be called “Dobinsons Express” and will only offer takeaway food and coffees. It will be virtually the same store, just without the dining.
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Another store which is moving is the health food store, Healthy Life, they are also offering a relocation sale.
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JB Hi-Fi and Ted’s Cameras (Thanks to RiotACT for the latter) are among the stores moving from other locations in Civic to the new Canberra Centre. Bunda Street is being transformed into a large al-fresco dining area…and at long last, Petrie Street will re-open this week (in theory).

Select Meats, the City Market butcher, is not moving, and has already closed, at the decision of the owners.

I will be contacting Canberra Centre Marketing today to arrange press access for Samuel’s Blog to the opening of the Canberra Centre Expansion, which will, apart from the remaining office block and another photographic tour of the outside of the expansion, round out the series of construction updates.

Update 3:30pm: For reasons which I have no intention of disclosing, I have cancelled all plans to cover the opening on Thursday. I may still, later in the month, conduct a photographic tour of the buildings from the outside, but all plans to cover the opening are off. End update

Samuel